


Promptstuck

by flipomatic



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Child Abuse, Currently accepting prompts, F/M, M/M, Promptstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-09 10:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipomatic/pseuds/flipomatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which I respond to prompts. HSWC Fill 2 - After years and years of collecting dead animals, Dave decided it was time to get one that was actually alive. But he didn’t know what kind of animal to get, let alone how to care for it once he did. There was only one person he knew who could help him; Jade was one of his best friends and she just happened to have a gigantic white dog. Though Dave didn’t care for the devil-beast, he would admit that Jade trained it well. She would probably be able to offer good advice about not only what kind of pet to adopt, but also how to keep it alive. DaveJade</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Detentionstuck - Karezi

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I'm going to start doing fanfic prompts on Tumblr, and I though this would be a good way to document all of them. The first one was suggested by Baxter54132, and we both wrote our own versions of it.

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and this is the tenth time you’ve served detention this month. It’s not your fault that the school bullies fell on the wrong side of your fists. They had it coming. But that’s not why you’re here today.

The gang is all here though. Aradia was caught digging for dinosaur bones on school ground again, and Tavros was dragged in for helping her. Sollux planted a bug in all the school computers, while Nepeta got a little too friendly with the school lockers and a can of spray paint. Kanaya blatantly refused to wear the schools dress code. Vriska and Equius were in for thievery and conspiring; they wanted to have all the money and take over the school’s market by force. Gamzee was a stoner, and he was caught with pot yet again. You weren’t sure why Eridan and Feferi were there; nobody ever told you what they had done to earn detention for life.

The only other student in the room was Terezi. The teacher, Doc Scratch, knew better than to let her sit with you. Instead, he put her with Vriska four rows in front of you, which in your mind, was worse. She was in because of you.

“Eyes on your homework.” Doc Scratch scowls at you, pointing with one rude finger. You roll your eyes at him, but don’t respond. You still have a few algebra problems to do, but they won’t last until the end of detention.

After making quick work of the algebra, you end up staring at the back of Terezi’s head. Detention was a pain, but what you did was worth it.

Early that morning, you arrived at school an hour before it started. You snuck into your class early and used industrial glue to glue red flowers to every inch of Terezi’s desk. You also rigged some to fly into the air when she opened it.

When she arrived, she didn’t notice at first. The other students were giggling, but she was used to that. She seemed surprised that you didn’t greet her as usual, but didn’t press the subject.

Then she got to her desk and ran one hand across the top of it. She stopped to a dead halt, sniffing the air curiously. She opened it up, and the few projectile ones flew around her face. She seemed more irritated than pleased, and you worried that this was actually a really bad idea.

“Did one of you cover my desk in foam letters again?” She whipped her head around as if she could see her classmate’s guilt. You stop her before any of them can respond.

“It was me.” You reached over and grasp one of her hands, pulling her towards you slightly. ‘But they’re not foam letters.”

She raised one eyebrow an inch. “Then what are they?”

“Red flowers.” You scratched the back of your neck with your free hand. “I know how much you like red things, and these seemed appropriate.” You took one deep breath. “Terezi, will you be my girlfriend?”

She seemed surprise, but barely took a moment to exclaim an excited yes and leap into your arms.

Your lips met right as the teacher cleared their throat.

It turned out that gluing things to school property and rigging projectiles was highly frowned upon.

Both of you were given detention for a week.

But as Terezi turns to sniff at you from four rows away, you know that this detention is worth it.


	2. Detentionstuck Part 2 - Karezi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was suggested by Karactacus on fanfiction.net.
> 
> Doc Scratch: Get tired of this shit and go make some coffee.

Your name is Doc Scratch, and you really needed a cup of coffee. You drew the short straw last Friday and were stuck with detention duties for a whole week. It was a pain in the ass, especially for a teacher of your caliber. They didn’t call you Doc for no reason, after all.

When the kids arrived for detention, you made sure to sure to separate them away from their fellow delinquents. Vantas sat in the back row while Pyrope sat in the front. Megido was shunted into one corner with Nitram as far from her as possible. You placed Zahhak next to Vantas and Serket next to Pyrope, which should have kept them from conspiring during detention. You also made sure to put at least three desks between Ampora and Peixes.

For a while, this seating arrangement worked. Until Vantas started staring at the back of Pyrope’s head like a lost puppy, that is.

You snapped at him to get back to work, and he glared at you. Ungrateful brat. He worked on his homework for a little longer before stowing it and resuming his staring. You didn’t have the energy to scold him again.

You really needed a cup of coffee, so you went to the teachers’ lounge to get one. You knew the students wouldn’t leave because if they left detention early, then two more were added to their sentence.

The coffee was like heaven going down your throat, and when you made it back to the classroom you had a light grin on your face.

The grin quickly vanished when you saw the state of the students.

Serket and Zahhak had reunited in the center of the room and had their heads bent together, whispering aggressively. Megido and Nitram had found a shovel and were digging into one of the walls. Amproa and Peixes were bickering rather loudly off to one side. Vantas had decided that now would be a great time to make out with his girlfriend, and she didn’t seem to disagree.

The only good news was that Makara hadn’t lit himself a joint. Not yet.

You wouldn’t give him the chance. You smacked your mug on the desk, nearly cracking it. They all looked at you in surprise. Except for Vantas and Pyrope, they were still preoccupied.

You inched over to their desk, and as your shadow covered them, they looked up at you. Pyrope cackled that odd laugh of hers, and Vantas just looked smug. You told the whole class to get back to their assigned seats, and they complied reluctantly.

You took one more swig from your mug, realizing it was already empty.

You needed another cup.


	3. Museumstuck - Karezi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Billy-numerous sent me this prompt on tumblr.
> 
> Prompt: field trip to a boring museum where they sneak off and do stupid stuff like always.

As Karkat sat on the bus, he knew this field trip was going to suck. They were on their way to some horrid museum he didn’t bother learning the name of, to learn about some paintings he didn’t care about.

He was in the window seat, next to one of his best friends in the world, Sollux. The other boy was preoccupied with playing Pokémon on a Gameboy color, determined to catch all 150 by the end of the field trip. As awesome as that was, it made for poor conversation.

Karkat cast his glance around the bus, pausing at the seat across the aisle from his. Vriska and Terezi occupied it, and they seemed just as excited about the field trip as Karkat was. They were chatting quietly about something, and Karkat was too far away to hear them. He had always thought Terezi was cute, but never could muster up the guts to talk to her. The blind girl's stare intimidated him slightly.

He decided to stare out the window and count the trees as they passed by. He made it all the way to 413 before the bus screeched to a halt at the museum.

“Alright kids,” the teacher stood at the front of the bus, addressing the class. “There a couple of rules we have to go over before we get of the bust. First, do not touch anything. The art in the museum is meant for looking at, not touching. Second, stay with the class. Do not rush ahead or straggle behind, or you might get lost. Is everyone excited?”

A few kids cheered, but most of the class was silent. The teacher shrugged and opened up the bus doors, allowing the students to file off. Sollux didn’t even bother to stow his Gameboy; he was planning on playing it the whole time anyway. He even had 12 extra batteries in case it died three times.

The blob of students made their way into the museum, stopping near the entrance to pay for admission. The teacher picked a direction, and the whole class started working their way through the museum. They saw paintings of fruit, animals, plants, scenery, and naked people.

Karkat didn’t care though, and he quickly found himself falling behind. He lost Sollux when the other boy followed the group mindlessly. Once the last of his classmates was out of sight, Karkat found a bench to sit on and rest his feet. What he didn’t know was that there was one student slower than him.

He heard the tapping sound before he saw her. Terezi tapped her cane against the ground as she passed his bench, apparently not noticing him sitting there. At least, it seemed that way until she grinned in his direction.

“You’re Karkat, right?” She tapped the cane against one of his feet as he nodded, before realizing that the motion was futile.

“Yeah.” Karkat sat up straighter in his seat, withdrawing his feet away from the questioning cane. He mustered his courage before asking the next question. “You wanna sit down?”

Terezi grinned from ear to ear. “Don’t mind if I do.” She plopped down next to him, groaning slightly as she got off her feet. “I’m Terezi” she flashed her grin in Karkat’s direction, and he was glad she couldn’t see the slight flush decorating his face.

“Hi,” he said awkwardly, clasping his hands together in his lap in order to have something to do with them. “Are you um… enjoying the museum?” As soon as the question escaped his lips, he realized how stupid it was.

“Not really, it’s kind of boring.” She raised one eyebrow at Karkat. “How about you? Are you all the way back here because you want to spend extra time with the art?”

Karkat let out one short laugh. “Not a chance. This art is for fucking children.”

“Well, my friend Vriska certainly enjoys it.” Terezi smiled softly, differently from her usual grin. It suited her, and Karkat couldn’t get enough of it.

“Some people just really like art.” he shrugged, scooting an inch towards Terezi on the bench.

“Yeah…” her voice trailed off, and she fiddled with the handle of her cane. After a heartbeat of awkward silence, Karkat had an idea.

“Have you tried touching the art?” He asked, leaning towards her slightly. “It might help.”

“That was the teacher’s first rule.” Terezi chuckled, “though we already broke the second one, so the first one should be next to go.” She stood up and walked forward, stopping when her cane tapped the wall. Karkat rose to his feet as well, joining her where she stood. “Is there any art here?”

“Yeah,” Karkat nodded uselessly. “It’s a painting of a lake with some trees around it.”

Terezi reached toward it with her right hand, hovering an inch from the surface. “Will you show me?” She asked, her face dead serious for once.

Karkat wasn’t quite sure what she meant. How could he show her something if she couldn’t see? His face flushed a shade or red as he realized what she meant. “Sure.” Karkat moved behind her and gently placed his right hand on top of hers, pressing it to the canvas. “This is the center of the lake, and off to the right is a tree.” He guided her hand to the right, stopping on the tree. “And there is this house over here.” He tried not to think about how close they were and how he could feel each breath she took and how soft her hand was and how her back was pressed against his chest…

His train of thought was interrupted by someone shouting “Hey! You kids! Keep your grubby hands off the art!” Karkat released Terezi’s hand, turning in shock at the voice. The uniformed adult stalked towards them, and as he approached Karkat linked one of his arms with Terezi’s.

“It’s the fuzz, we gotta run.”

She merely cackled in response, and the pair took off down the hall. The guard didn’t bother to chase them, cursing his bad back as he settled down on the abandoned bench.

The pair ran a short distance, and were surprised to find themselves back with their class. Vriska seemed extremely agitated at the sight of them, and Sollux didn’t seem to care as usual. Karkat reluctantly unlinked his arm from Terezi’s.

“It’s been fun Karkles,” she smiled softly at him. “We should do this again sometime.” One peck on the cheek later, and she was gone.

Karkat stumbled back to Sollux, who was button mashing away. But he must have cared more than he let on, because he asked the only important question.

“So kk, did you finally find yourself a girlfriend?”


	4. NoSgrubstuck - Karezi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argentconflagration requested this one on tumblr.  
> Prompt: I think you should write a fic about Terezi finding out Karkat's blood color in a nonsgrub au.

When Karkat opened the door to let Terezi into his hive, he expected the excessive grin stretched across her visage. He also expected her to take a large sniff of his scent. He did not expect her to get within one inch of his face to do it.

“You smell different today Karkat,” she took one more long sniff. “Did you change shampoos?”

“Of course not!” Karkat crossed his arms, backing away from the other teen. “I don’t use fucking girly scented shampoos!”

“Not a manly troll like you.” Terezi brushed one hand across Karkats chest as she moved past him to enter his hive, noting a slight increase in the strange scent. She let it go though, since it wasn’t that big of a deal. The pair didn’t get many days off from legislacerator and threshecutioner training, so being able to meet face to face like this was a rare treat.

“How’ve you been?” Karkat asked, shaking his head to clear the flush from his cheeks.

Terezi leaned against one of his walls, grinning broadly. “Pretty good,” she chuckled, “How about you? Knocked any heads in lately?”

“I win all my fights.” Karkat flexed the muscles on his right arm, despite the fact that Terezi couldn’t see them.

Terezi didn’t respond as she sniffed the air again. The strange scent was stronger inside the hive, but it still radiated the strongest from Karkat’s head. It smelled like bright red cherries, and after dwelling on it few a few seconds, Terezi finally thought she knew what it was.

“Karkat,” she approached him, prodding his foot with her cane and turning her head towards where she could smell his face. “Have your eyes stated changing yet?” The ripple of tension that ran through his body told her more than any words could’ve. “I thought so.” She reached up, since he was taller than her now, and placed her fingers on his cheek. He was barely breathing as his entire form shook slightly. “Cherry red, that’s illegal.” Her mouth stretched in an abnormal frown.

“Are you planning on culling me?” Karkat barely managed to ask, his cherry tinted eyes watching Terezi’s solid red ones anxiously. Any legislacerator, even one in training, had the right to cull mutants.

“Nope.” Her frown transformed into a shark like grin. “You’re too delicious for that.” Terezi leaned forward and licked up the side of his face, relishing his shudder and the cherry taste of his flush. And then she was gone, vanished into another room of his hive. “You wanted to watch rom-coms, right?” She called from around the corner.

Karkat didn’t move for a moment, merely staring into the space Terezi previously occupied.

He really needed to ask her to be his matesprit soon.


	5. Catstuck - Karezi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Dreamwalker20 on fanfiction.net.

There was a forest that sat in a moderate climate, and was dominated by ancient oak and pine trees. Most of the creatures within its bounds lived in peace. Only the wild cats of the area suffered from strife. They had once been united, possessing a large enough territory to feed the entire clan. But one year, there was a drought and cats started to die. Dissent grew among the ranks, and a few cats tried to seize power. Their attempt failed, and many died in the fight that ensued. The survivors were banished, never to return to their home. They took the clan name Low Bloods in order to contrast the other clan, which was called High Bloods. The Low Bloods managed to attain part of the territory, and the two clans have fought ever since.

Young Karkat knew the story of how his clan was founded well, and he hated all High Bloods. Or at least, he thought he did.

Not too long after becoming an apprentice, he decided to go out hunting by himself. Actually, it was more like Sollux bet he couldn’t catch a single mouse by himself, and Karkat never backed down from a challenge. Karkat waited until his mentor Kanaya was out on a hunting patrol before he went out to fulfill the challenge.

He made sure to go out to the edge of the territory; he didn’t want to run into any other cats. It was dangerously close to the High Blood’s territory, but he didn’t really care about that. Whenever he went on border patrols, he liked to look over the boundary and wonder what was actually so different over there.

On this day, somebody was looking back.

A pair of light blue eyes stared back at Karkat’s red ones, and he stood paralyzed with surprise. He held his breath as he waited for the other cat to look away. They didn’t look away, they didn’t even blink.

Tension crackled in the air, and Karkat couldn’t handle it any more. He turned away, flicking his tail in irritation. He had better things to do with his time than glare at a High Blood.

“Wait a sec.” The other cat called after him, distinguishing herself as female. “What’s your name?”

“I’m not talking to you.” Karkat hissed, pausing for a moment to scent the air. He just needed to catch some prey and get back to camp.

“Why not?” The female voice called. She followed him along the border, but didn’t dare set one paw across it.

“Because.” He looked back, and instantly regretted it. The she-cat smirked at him, her unsheathed claws digging into the soft ground.

“That’s not a good reason.” Now that she had his full attention, there was no getting away.

“Fine,” Karkat moved one paw forward. “I’m Karkat.” He moved closer to the border, practically standing nose to nose with the she-cat.

“I’m Terezi.” She sniffed in Karkat’s direction. “Now was that so hard?”

He flinched away from her inquiring nose, tail lashing against the ground. “Whatever. You better stay on your territory or I’m gonna rip your fucking tail off!”

“Are you?” She looked him up and down, ears perked. “A bit young for border skirmishes, aren’t you?”

“I’m already an apprentice.” Karkat puffed out his chest. “And someday I’m going to be the leader of my clan. What about you? The squirrels I hunt are bigger than you.”

“Come on over here and we can test that out.” She scratched her claws through the dirt, moving it into small piles. She crouched forward, tail lashing from side to side.

“I’m busy.” Karkat spun around, trotting away from the border.

“Maybe some other time!” Terezi called after him, and he shook his head. He needed to catch some prey and get away from annoying she-cats. There wouldn’t be another time.

But there was. He went back to border almost every day, telling himself it was only to check on the High Blood activities. He ran into Terezi a few more times, and the two slowly formed a bond. Karkat tried not to get attached, but he couldn’t help himself. They spent hours talking and getting to know each other, but during the entire time they never crossed over the territory boundary.

The two remained friends until, one day, the Low Bloods leader gathered a group to go take a portion of High Blood territory. It would be that last mission before Karkat became a full warrior. It was also the largest battle since before he was born. Practically the entire clan went to fight, but they were ready for them.

It was a bloodbath, and Karkat barely escaped with enough blood to stagger away. He fought against a High Blood warrior, managing to scratch up the larger cat’s side. He was looking for another cat to fight when he saw Terezi grappling with Sollux.

Somehow, Sollux was winning. He crouched over Terezi, biting into one of her ears. She clawed up at his stomach, unable to dislodge him. Karkat saw red, and he lunged at the pair. He shoved Sollux to the side without thinking it, acting purely on instinct.

As Terezi climbed to her feet she stared at Karkat in shock. Sollux mirrored her expression, both of them momentarily forgetting the roar of battle around them.

A moment after Karkat looked into Terezi’s eyes, she turned and fled into the brush. Karkat would have followed her, but Sollux tackled him to the ground.

“What the hell are you doing!?” He pushed one paw into Karkat’s throat, pinning him to the dirt.

“Nothing.” Karkat wheezed, trying to shove his friend away. “I just…” His voice trailed off, and he looked away from Sollux.

“Stopped me from killing that High Blood, that’s what you did!” Sollux pressed harder, his claws unsheathing. “Traitor.”

“I’m not a traitor!” Karkat mustered the strength to shove Sollux off, jumping to his feet. “I just don’t think we should kill over border skirmishes.”

Sollux narrowed his eyes at the other cat, but before he could argue more their leader called the group together to head back to camp. Sollux let the subject go, and Karkat hoped Terezi had made it back to her camp safely.

He saw her a few days later at the border, and her wounds were healing nicely. She was grateful for his help, but there was a problem.

“We have to stop seeing each other like this.” She kneaded her paws against the ground nervously, still standing on her side of the border. Karkat stood on his side, toeing the line carefully.

“Why? Because of what happened a couple days ago?” Karkat flicked his ears back.

“Yes,” Terezi paced along the boundary. “I can’t ask you to betray your clan, and I can’t betray mine.”

“Are you sure?” Karkat watched her pace back and forth, his ears twitching nervously.

“This is goodbye.” Terezi crossed the border for the first time, brushing her head against Karkat’s. She stayed there for a moment, treasuring his scent, before pulling away. She turned her back on Karkat to walk away, and he nearly followed her. But he didn’t.

After she vanished into the bushes, Karkat dragged his paws back to camp. This was for the best; he didn’t need any High Blood friends anyway.

But when he got back to camp, he went to speak to his leader about making peace with the High Bloods. They could share the territory and use it more efficiently, and without battles there would be less sudden casualties.

Also, there was one she-cat he couldn’t wait to see again.


	6. Deathstuck - Karezi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For CS on fanfiction.net, who requested a fic where Karkat finally dies as a result of his blood color.

Your name was Karkat Vantas, and as you stood in front of the court you wondered if you could blame past you for this mess. That fuckass was the one who got caught and dragged to jail anyway, and he was such an idiot it was easy to say this was his entire fault. But at you were him at one point, so you took some of the responsibility.

That dumbass wriggler got a scratch during threshecutioner training, leading to your current situation.

Court was nearly over and His Honorable Tyranny was about to announce your sentence when you cast one glance at your legislacerator. Well, not _your_ legislacerator; Terezi wasn’t allowed to be involved due to her relationship with the accused. This legislacorator was a blue blood with a few more sweeps under his belt than you, a few more pounds as well. He was well trusted in the legal system, and had been building a trail of successful cases over 400 long. Your case was number 413.

“I find Karkat Vantas guilty of all charges.” His Honorable Tyranny banged his gavel against the table, each knock spelling out your doom. “He will be hanged for his crime of possessing mutant and diseased blood.” This was the end for you; they always carried out the sentence right after it was decreed. They legislacerator did the persecuting themself.

He walked you over to the gallows that stood on the other side of the room. Those gallows were a permanent fixture in the courthouse, and always prepared to taste blood. It could have been worse, you figured, it could have been a guillotine.

When he pushed you up onto the platform, you gazed out into the crowd. One familiar face stood out. Terezi sat in the front row, sniffing in your direction fervently. Vriska was perched next to her, murmuring constantly into her ear, but you didn’t really care about that. Terezi’s entire form shook subtly, which you could barely see from so far away.

You wanted to go over to her and promise it would be alright, but that would be a lie. Past you might have told lies, but current you was better than that.

You knew that if you shouted out to her, they would likely cull her as well.

So you didn’t.

The legislacerator placed the noose over your head, tightening it slightly around your neck. You gulped once, and Terezi’s shaking worsened. You didn’t take your eyes off her as the legislacerator walked over to the lever that would kill you.

The last thing you saw was one teal tear escape and trickle down Terezi’s cheek. She didn’t turn away, facing in your direction until the very end.

He pulled the lever.


	7. Nevermetstuck - Karezi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by InsomniacClarinetist on fanfiction.net. They wanted an AU where the trolls have grown up but never met eachother.

_Karkat_

You’re on the run. Your mutant blood was finally discovered and if you hadn’t fled, you would’ve been culled. Luckily, threshecutioner training was on Alternia, so you had somewhere to escape to other than the dead of space.

One mistake in defending yourself was all it took for the other trainees to start hunting you down. As you hid in the vents, you heard them muttering about descendants and the Signless, wondering how he could possibly have one.

You never knew you were a descendent of the Signless, but it certainly made sense. Your blood and sign certainly meant a lot more now.

After outrunning the other trainees, you found a cave to take shelter in. The trolls on Alternia were all under nine sweeps old, so they were unlikely to cause you trouble, and the search for you probably wouldn’t resume until the next night. You had a few hours to recuperate.

You stared at one of the walls of the cave, wondering what do to with your life now. Becoming a threshecutioner was out; you would never be accepted back. Your only choice was to move on.

Maybe this was for the best. You discovered who your ancestor was, and the knowledge changed everything. The way you thought about society, and quadrants, all made sense now. You always thought troll society could use a change; you just didn’t realize you were the one to do it.

But now you knew. As soon as the sun set, you would start walking. You would go from town to town spreading the idea of caste equality.

You gained followers steadily, similarly to how your ancestor had.

This went well until, one day; a legislacerator appeared in front of you.

* * *

_Terezi_

At 6 sweeps, you were recruited early into legislacerator training. It didn’t take long until you were practicing in the field. You hunted down criminals and brought them to justice.

You only hoped you lived up to the expectations of your ancestor, Neophyte Redglare. She was the best legislacerator of her time, almost bringing down the great pirate Mindfang. You didn’t dwell on that ‘almost’.

You moved up the ranks quickly, solving harder and harder cases. Your targets often underestimated you due to your disability, but you didn’t really think of it as an ailment. Being able to smell instead of see gave you a whole new perspective of the world, and it gave you an edge over your fellow legislacerators.

One day, you received an assignment back on Alternia. This was odd, mostly because all trolls left Alternia when they came of age. All of your cases before this one were on colonized planets.

Apparently, a mutant made it into threshecutioner training. But he wasn’t able to keep his secret, and was now on the run. They wouldn’t have called in extra help, but he started recruiting followers to his cause and her Condese feared the second coming of the Signless. Your job was to cull him.

So you hired a ship and flew to the homeland, searching for this mutant on foot. He wasn’t too hard to find, the scent of his cherry red blood was rather distinct. Also, his followers couldn’t keep their mouths shut.

It didn’t take long until you found yourself face to face with him.

* * *

As the pair stood within arms reach, they were unable to move.

They didn’t yet know how much their lives were about to change.

 


	8. HSWC Fill 1 - DaveJade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first fill for the Homestuck Shipping World Cup Bonus Round 1.

"There's a playground at the end of the block and I run to the swings and climb on, and [he] takes the one next to me, facing the opposite direction, and we swing higher and higher, passing each other, sometimes in synch and sometimes streaming past each other so fast it seems like we're going to collide, and we laugh, and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or dead, or far away: right now we are here, and nothing can mar our perfection, or steal the joy of this perfect moment."  
—Audrey Niffenegger, _The Time Traveler's Wife_

* * *

 

“C’mon Dave!” A young girl called from in front of you, already racing away to find another frog. Jade always had so much energy; it was tough to match her enthusiasm. You put a solid effort in as the pair of you trekked through her frosty forest, collecting every frog you stumbled upon. She loved the little creatures and had actually built a frog habitat in her house, while you often wondered what they would look like preserved in a jar.

“Hold up.” You watched as Jade stopped dead in her tracks. “We wouldn’t want to go too fast and miss one.” She seemed to think about it for a moment before spinning around to face you.

“I guess.” She walked back towards you, a bit slower than before. You met her halfway to continue your search.

You trudged along silently with only the ironic crunching of the snow to distract you. You thought about Bec Noir, and how he will arrive soon. When he does, you will die. But until then, you would hunt and breed frogs.

Jade reached for your hand, probably to dispel the chill, and you didn’t hesitate to return the gesture. Her hand felt warm in yours, anchoring you away from your thoughts. She stubbornly refused to look at you, though you could see a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

You heard a cracking sound, and a wave of fear ran through you despite yourself. It turned out to only be some tree branches breaking under the snow, and you allowed yourself to feel relieved.

You and Jade walked hand in hand for a little while longer, and she soon found another frog to collect. She released you in order to scoop the animal up, practically shoving it into your face. She named it Fred and captchalogued it with the others.

You watched her do this while fighting off a small smile. She retook your hand automatically.

For just a little while, you put death out of your mind. You didn’t think about those passed on or your own impending doom. For just that moment, there was only the two of you, and nothing could change that.

 


	9. Weddingstuck - Karezi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weddingstuck was requested by an anon on tumblr. Just putting it out there that I know absolutely nothing about weddings. Also, I'm sorry that this is so cheesy.

Karkat straightened his tie with shaking hands, barely able to meet his own gaze in the mirror. Butterflies danced in his stomach at the thought of the coming day’s events. After all, a guy could only get married to the love of his life once.

Karkat and Terezi spent hours upon hours planning this wedding, and though the pair didn’t agree on every detail, it all worked out in the end. Everything was ready, everything, that is, except the groom.

Quivering fingers reeked of insecurity, but the best man hadn’t noticed. John Egbert could be a bit unobservant even at the best of times, and on this particular day he was bouncing off the walls like a loon. The other man clapped one hand onto Karkat’s shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Only five minutes until it starts, we better get going.” John grinned broadly, barely containing his excitement. “I still can’t believe you’re getting married before me!”

“Well maybe if you grew a pair and actually asked her…” Karkat brushed John’s hand away, smirking smugly.

“That’s not fair.” John crossed his arms. “Whatever, just come on.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Alright.”

As John vacated the room, Karkat stared back into the mirror.

It was time, he told himself. Time to get out there and marry Terezi, a girl he’d known since elementary school. They didn’t date until after graduating from high school, but the spark had always been there. Three years later and here they were.

Hopefully this wouldn’t turn out to be one of her epic pranks, like when she dropped a beehive on Sollux’s head and an empty fucking bucket on Karkat’s. No, Karkat reassured himself as he steadied his hands and straightened his tie again, she would never do that to him. Not after all these years.

Karkat turned his back on the mirror, casting those poisonous thoughts aside.

He was ready.

Ready to fall asleep next to Terezi every night and wake up next to her every morning. Ready to read books aloud to her until his voice became hoarse. Ready to eat all her tries at blind cooking and be bluntly honest about their questionable contents. Ready to walk arm and arm with her down the street, partly to stop her from smacking strangers with her cane, but mostly because he wanted to. Ready to love her for the rest of his life.


	10. Stairsstuck - DaveKat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was requested by carcinoGeneticistCG on fanfiction.net. He wanted Karkat to fall down a bunch of stairs and for Dave to make fun of him. A bit of a warning though, I do not usually write or ship DaveKat, so I'm really sorry if they are out of character or really weird.

Your name is Dave Strider, and you just might be the biggest asshole to walk the planet. Well, maybe not the whole planet; that’s a ton of assholes. But on the meteor for sure, you are the biggest one. You couldn’t help it though; it was just too funny not to laugh at. Karkat falling down the stairs never ceased to be hilarious. The only problem was that he didn’t find it funny, not one fucking bit. Of course, being the absolute asshole that you are, you didn’t notice until it was almost too late.

You were chatting with Rose about your old Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff pages when it happened. She psychoanalyzed the panels one by one while you desperately searched for a new topic; many of her points landed uncomfortably close to the truth. Karkat was no help; he merely eavesdropped from the other side of the room.

“That one about the stairs.” Rose smirked that evil little smirk of hers. “How did it go again?”

“I warned you about the stairs Bro.” You crossed your arms in what you hoped was a condescending manner.

“Stairs! What stairs!? Where?” Karkat leapt out of his seat across the room, head swiveling in every direction. After a few tense seconds, he chuckled nervously. “Heh heh, sorry about that guys.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “You should see your faces.”

“Dude.” You exchanged a glance with Rose. “What was that?”

“Nothing!” Karkat’s cheeks flushed bright red as he stumbled back half a step.

“You’re not afraid of stairs, are you?” You barely managed to ask in disbelief. Sure, the troll was pretty much guaranteed to fall down every flight of stairs he encountered, that was no reason to… oh wait, it was. You made fun of him and laughed every time too. What an awful friend you were.

“Of course not, I just… that is… look… okay…” Karkat’s voice trailed off as he refused to meet your gaze. “It’s just embarrassing. I’m a fully grown troll; I should be able to handle the stairs without falling down them like a fucking wiggler.” He stormed out of the room, and you didn’t hesitate to follow him.

“Karkat wait!” You practically shouted. Luckily he stopped to listen. “It’s alright to be af…” Karkat cut you off, snarling with every other word.

“Shut up! Why should I fucking listen to you!? You are nothing but a shit-stain on the bottom of my boot! Do you know what I think every time after I fall? I hope that you aren’t there because all you do is mock and tease and fucking laugh! I thought we were friends. And don’t friends support each other?” Karkat wiped one hand across his eyes. “I guess not.”

“I’m sorry.” You meant it. “I guess I never really thought about it that way. It’s just.” You hesitated, taking a deep breath to gain composure. “I’ve fallen down a lot of stairs myself. Bro used to shove me down the stairs of our apartment building for training. He would meet me at the bottom and say he warned me, but even if I heeded his warnings it didn’t really matter. I learned to laugh off the bruises.”

You didn’t realize you were shaking until Karkats arms engulfed you frame. You slowly wrapped your arms around the troll, feeling warm and safe in his embrace. He withdrew a moment later, and you immediately missed his touch.

“So why have you been falling down the stairs anyway?” You cleared your throat awkwardly, forcing the conversation forward.

“The rail keeps breaking.” Karkat crossed his arms.

“You should have said something sooner. That’s an easy fix.” You paused. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Karkat smiled softly, placing one hand on your shoulder. “We’re friends after all, and forgiveness is an important part of friendship.”

“Yeah.” You couldn’t help but smile too.


	11. HSWC Fill 2 - DaveJade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I filled this for the last HSWC bonus round. The prompt was that Dave had to have something to do with crows.

After years and years of collecting dead animals, Dave decided it was time to get one that was actually alive. But he didn’t know what kind of animal to get, let alone how to care for it once he did. There was only one person he knew who could help him; Jade was one of his best friends and she just happened to have a gigantic white dog. Though Dave didn’t care for the devil-beast, he would admit that Jade trained it well. She would probably be able to offer good advice about not only what kind of pet to adopt, but also how to keep it alive.

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 14:35 --

TG: sup harley

TG: so ive been thinking

TG: dead things are cool and all

TG: but maybe i should get a pet

GG: that sounds like a good idea

GG: did you have anything in mind?

GG: you didnt already adopt one, did you?

TG: no not yet

TG: i wouldnt just drop that on you

TG: like hey this is snuffles

TG: hes going to be a permanent member of the family now

TG: even when he turns eighteen hes never gonna move out

TG: he will just sit on the couch drinking shitty beer for the rest of his life

GG: heh heh

TG: but seriously

TG: I have no idea about what kind of animal to get

GG: hmm

GG: have you thought about a dog?

GG: dogs are great!

TG: dogs are nice

TG: but i think my apartment might be too small for one

GG: thats true

GG: you could go for a cat then

GG: they dont need as much space or exercise

TG: and have it scratch up all my stuff

TG: no thanks

GG: well excuse me :P

GG: what about a bird?

TG: do birds make good pets

GG: yeah!

GG: as long as youre careful not to let it escape

GG: and remember to feed it

GG: and clean its cage

TG: birds are pretty great

TG: they like to hang out on my roof a lot

TG: pecking away at the air conditioner

GG: sounds like we found our answer :)

GG: there are many different kinds of birds

GG: so youll have to find the one that works for you

TG: i think i already know

TG: do you know anything about crows?

GG: just that theyre supposed to be bad luck

GG: ive never actually seen one

TG: they like to follow me around

TG: watching my every move

TG: well today

TG: im going to catch one

GG: oh gosh

GG: that sounds dangerous

GG: be careful :/

TG: dont worry

TG: ill send you pics later

TG: see ya

GG: bye <3

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 14:52 --

Dave grabbed a net Bro left lying around; it was time to catch a crow. He crept up the stairs, ready to ambush the flighty creatures. He leapt out and swung his net at them, and that was when everything went wrong. Needless to say, he did not catch a crow that day.

When he messaged Jade about it later, she dubbed it ‘The Day When Crows Attacked’.

He decided to stick with dead things.


End file.
